What I Would Give For The Rain
by MoonsAreBlue
Summary: Maybe the rain wasn’t so bad. Maybe it was all he really needed. Maybe he just needed the storm to soak him with feeling, only to lead up to this moment in time. Maybe it was just her. ShikaIno ShikaxIno Oneshot Rated T to be safe. Slight angst.


Author's Note: I've not seen anybody but one person put "drag" for Shikamaru's 'word', so I thought I'd do it. Anyways I just love this couple. I don't care for Ino in particular and Shikamaru—he's on my top five characters—is pretty darn awesome, but I just _adore_ the pairing! So here goes my first oneshot. Sorry if there is any OOC. I tried to project my best image of them while writing this. Standard disclaimers. Also, if I have any questioning things in here about the story line or people, it's because I've only seen up to episode 78 in English. I didn't feel like watching the Japanese versions, because I wanted to _watch_ the episode, not read it. Anyways… send ♥ Read & Review please!

* * *

"Flames will be used to roast marshmallows, and I make a _killer_ marshmallow." Me

* * *

He's a genius, right? Don't geniuses usually think of brainy things? Don't they think of ways to solve the unsolved? Or do lazy geniuses think of the impossible? Shikamaru Nara does. 

_Not a day goes by that I don't think of… of her. Who would've thought the lazy genius would have any feelings towards her? Nobody. _

Shikamaru lay in the grass, gazing at the clouds. No one seemed to understand his cloud watching habit. It had very little to do with relaxation. Heck, this was just as relaxing as working to him, but Shikamaru loved it anyways. The clouds were the source of his two envies in life. _Why can't I just be a cloud? Just floating along, taking whatever comes and not thinking twice about it, not changing pace or route. _

And of course, today of all days, there was only one wispy strand.

_That's me alright._ He thought, _In a way at least… I'm the only one in the world—in the huge sky—that feels this way about life. Life can't just be relaxing; it has to be a drag. Of course it has to be a drag._

Shikamaru sighed, knowing no one cared. Apathy was his best trait, but who would want to care about someone so _un_caring. Sure, Choji cared. He was Shikamaru's best friend after all. And he liked to think _she_ cared, since they were teammates. But _she_ was always treading water in _her_ thoughts of Sasuke. That was another thing about the clouds that poked at Shikamaru.

_People are so blind. They can't just be happy with what they have. They always have to reach for things out of their grasp. She reaches for Sasuke when she very well knows she can't have him. But then again, I have to be the bright one to reach for her, when I've known for so long I can't have her. I'm one of _them_, which is why I can never be a cloud. I hide everything…_

The shell that Shikamaru lived in was for _her_ good. Not his. He acted like he didn't care so _she_ wouldn't have to worry about him. So _she_ could live life the way _she_ wanted to live. So _she_ could reach for her dreams of Sasuke. Even though Shikamaru's insides twisted and turned when _she_ was all over Sasuke, his emotions were always barred up. They were trained to stay locked inside until he could cloud-gaze, releasing his grief to the everlasting clouds—the only thing that understood him.

Recently his outer shell had been starting to crumble. Every now and then _she _would catch him scowling when _she_ was around Sasuke. _She_ would ask what troubled him and he would reply, "This is such a drag…" And walk away.

_It's all my fault. It always has been. Why couldn't I have just said it? Life would be so less annoying and I wouldn't always want to sleep my life away, avoiding her…_

They were close friends. He had grown on _her_. He learned to accept _her_ and before he knew it, he loved _her_. What could he do? This feeling deep inside his chest, was almost too much to tolerate. He could barely keep from a small smile or a small glance. It was the little things like that. Those were the little things that brought _her_ to him. Those little things that made him swell up inside with so much feeling, that he couldn't speak a word. _She_ began to think _she_ had upset him. _She_ began avoiding him, after he walked away. _She_ went back to pursuing Sasuke even more.

_What a drag… this jealousy is. It hurts. _Shikamaru held his hand in front of his face and stared at the lines. _What I would give to put her hand against mine—and not have to recoil with embarrassment. What I would give…_

Shikamaru glanced at the lone wispy cloud that hung in the air, drifting along, then returned to his palm. He was a genius, wasn't he? Shouldn't he have seen this coming? Shouldn't he have been able to stop the pain? Shouldn't he… have fallen out of love by now?

_Of course not. _

Shikamaru's hand fell to his side. The sky was so blue today. Just like _her_ eyes. And that cloud. That was all he was in _her_ eyes. Just a little speck, hardly ever noticed. Just… an admirer from afar.

Shikamaru's senses sharpened when a light pounding in the ground caught his attention. He sighed when he realized that he knew who it was. Choji always came to him, around this time, on the few days off they ever received. Sure enough, Choji walked up the hill, clutching a bag of chips, munching happily. He plopped down beside Shikamaru and said, "You're going to hate me for this."

"For what?" Shikamaru asked, eyes closed.

"Well, let's just say I told somebody something and that somebody will be right up here in about ten minutes," Choji stuffed a handful of chips in his mouth at the end.

Shikamaru's eyebrows narrowed, "You didn't…"

Choji stood up. Knowing Shikamaru, Choji had some sense to stand up to be able to run, to at least be out of his reach, "I did…"

Shikamaru growled, "What did you say exactly?"

Choji sighed, at least he wasn't going to be attacked just yet, "I told her that you've been feeling pretty down lately. You wouldn't open up to me, so I asked her if she could try and get some words out of you. I know you like her. You know you can't hide it, not from me anyways," Choji paused for another handful of chips. "You don't talk to anybody anymore and you're always up here watching the clouds whenever you have a spare minute. So I'll just warn you. She's coming."

And Choji walked off, leaving Shikamaru with a lot to think about in roughly eight minutes. A lot. _What a drag…_ He thought. _I really haven't been opening up, have I? But nobody cares, so why should I? She's only coming up here, because Choji asked her. I know she wouldn't have even thought of confronting me if he said nothing. Well…_

Shikamaru sighed. Seven minutes. _I can't let her see me like this. She shouldn't have to worry about me. I keep this shell of mine for her, not for me. Choji must have noticed my grimaces when she was with Sasuke._

Thoughts rumbled through his head. _What the hell is wrong with me?! I never get like this! I used to be so uncaring, but then… I had to let her get to me._

Three minutes. _Well, the best thing to do would be to get out of here._ He stood up, despite the effort and despite all of the free time he still had left, and leapt into the tree just overhead. There was no time to run anywhere.

One minute.

_She_ came walking up the hill, nonchalantly, holding a single white carnation with pinkish stripes and a purple hyacinth. Shikamaru watched from above, eyes watching the beautiful kunoichi. This was the exact thing he was trying to avoid. _Her_ being worried about him. _She_ stood just underneath the tree, and seeing the indentation Shikamaru had left in the ground, frowned. _Why didn't I think of that?! I should have been smart enough to cover that up! What a drag. Soon she'll see me up here, and she's too bright to not notice me running away… But she must already know that I'm up here. It's quite obvious._ Shikamaru continued to watch _her_.

_She_ sat down in the impression and sighed, twiddling the hyacinth between _her_ fingers. A smile soon lit up _her_ face and Shikamaru saw it before it quickly disappeared. He thought, _She _does_ know I'm up here…_

"What did I do? And why in the world does Choji think _I'm_ the one who can help?" _She_ suddenly said to herself. "It just seems like I'm the reason he's been so isolated from everyone."

_She_ stared at the purple flower in _her_ hand. "I wish Shikamaru was here… Choji probably came up to say something and then he just left, since I'm such a drag and all…"

_She_ sighed and looked up to the lone cloud in the sky, "Then again, the scenery doesn't look all that great today. Maybe he just left on his own."

Another sigh escaped _her_ soft lips as _she_ stood up. _Should I get down?_ thought Shikamaru. _But what does she plan on doing with those flowers, and why hasn't she said anything to me? She knows I'm up here, doesn't she?_

The purple hyacinth slipped from _her_ fingers and glided down to the ground. "Maybe he'll find it later."

Then _she_ left.

Shikamaru froze. _That's it? She didn't say anything? No. She would have said something if she knew I was up here. But… maybe she didn't know. Why the hell does this have to be such a drag?!_

He leapt down from the tree and picked up the beautiful hyacinth, and yet it was nothing in comparison to that of _her_ beauty. _A hyacinth…?_ _But doesn't that mean rashness? What in the world?_

This was yet another secret about Shikamaru. He knew about _her_ flower shop, and he also realized that he had known nothing about the flowers _she_ loved so much. Regardless of all of the effort to come, he taught himself flowers. He purchased books on different types, books on their meanings, and even books on how to raise flowers. The bookshop owner had always looked at him oddly when he brought the books to the counter, but Shikamaru didn't care. It was so he could better understand _her_.

As he trudged away from his hill, he gently placed the flower into his pocket. His hand slid over it, covering it from strange eyes yet not crushing it.

It was getting later now. With a glance towards the sky, Shikamaru registered the time to be around five. _Was I really out there for three hours? I should probably get home and eat or something…_

The sky was darkening as Shikamaru walked home. _What a drag… rain. _Thunder started to boom and droplets started to fall. The rain gradually became heavier and heavier, the temperature falling and falling, until no one was left on the streets of Konoha but Shikamaru. He didn't bother to waste effort to run home as his clothes soon became sodden with water.

_What's the point? I'm already soaking wet now._

His shoes were sopping wet and his clothing was in no better in condition when he came upon a little flower shop. Shikamaru didn't think twice as he passed the large glass window. The rain was layering his body in a film of remorse. He couldn't just let his feelings out like the rain did, because then it would make _her_ miserable.

Shikamaru hated the rain. It was always a meaning to stay cramped inside. It always made his one true friend—the clouds—look so evil, so uninviting. And plus, drenched clothes rubbing on his skin wasn't the most pleasant feeling.

He passed the glass door without thought, without notion, without care for what _someone_ inside might be thinking.

"Shikamaru!"

A bell sounded; the ring Shikamaru recognized as the bell to _her_ flower shop. Two firm hands grasped his left bicep.

"Shikamaru, what do you think you're doing out here?!"

He turned to _her,_ not knowing what to say, but not worrying either. He knew _she_ couldn't stay quiet for long.

"Get inside. You'll catch a cold if you stay out here," _she_ pleaded.

"I was just going home," Shikamaru replied.

"But your house is a long ways from here. Surely you can wait inside until the storm passes." _She _hadn't let go of his arm, and _she_ didn't plan on it either.

Shikamaru tried to shake _her_ hands off of him, "I'll be fine. Besides shouldn't you be closing up the shop and heading home yourself?"

"Well we were, but Mom said to wait until the rain stopped. Now come on. Your clothes are soaking." _She_ pulled at his arm and Shikamaru reluctantly followed. Trying to resist this one was futile.

The door closed behind him as he followed _her_ inside. "I'm going to go find you a towel or something." And _she_ took off around the corner.

He tried not to move too much, considering if he _did_ move, he would leave a trail of water everywhere.

Shikamaru looked around from his spot and noticed a few purple hyacinths in a large glass vase filled with nutrient water. A small tag was what really caught his eye.

**Purple hyacinth**

Meaning: A feeling of sorrow. Could be substituted with "I am sorry." or "Please forgive me."

This flower originated from—

The flower in his pocket suddenly entered his mind and he gently pulled it out. It had remained dry with his hand covering it so the small petals didn't droop. _So she feels sorry even though she never did anything…_

_She_ came out from the back with an armful of hand towels. A shirt and a pair of pants hung from _her_ shoulders. "You're lucky," _she_ smiled. "We even had a spare change of clothes for-"

He had turned to face _her_ and _she_ had seen the flower. "So you found it…"

"Yeah…"

Silence.

_She_ proffered the items in _her_ arms, "Here. You can take these and go change in the bathroom over there." _She_ gestured _her_ head in the direction.

"Right…" Shikamaru felt slightly awkward in the situation before him. He didn't know why and he just couldn't help it. "Thanks…"

* * *

"So why are you mad at me?" Shikamaru heard a slight thump from outside the door as _she_ had slid down to sit against the wall. 

By this time, Shikamaru had removed his sopping clothes and put on the sweatpants _she_ provided and was drying his hair with a towel. "I'm not mad at you."

Silence.

"Just curious…" continued Shikamaru. "Why in the world do you have spare clothes at a _flower shop_?"

_She_ chuckled a heavenly chuckle. "You'd be surprised at all of the times I spilled water or dirt on myself and wished I had a change of clothes. Mom did it a lot too so we stuffed some of her and Dad's clothes in the supply closet. They have saved us a few trips of returning home to change, believe it or not."

Shikamaru could hear a smile creep across _her_ lips, probably remembering some funny incident, and laughed quietly along with _her_.

But _she_ didn't appreciate the change in subject. Shikamaru could hear the smile leave _her_ as _she_ said, "Shikamaru, you don't have to lie to me. I know you're mad at me. You used to always talk to me and now this is the first _conversation_ we've had in a few weeks. I just wanted to know what I did wrong…"

A sigh escaped his lips, but then he wished he hadn't let it run free. He slipped the shirt over his head and folded the last towel. He opened the door and _she_ jumped unexpectedly, _her_ eyes meeting his. "Where do you want me to put these?" Shikamaru asked.

_She_ looked away with a stern look in _her_ eyes, "Don't try to change the subject again. Why are you mad at me?"

Shikamaru walked past _her_ and placed the towels on the countertop. He laid his wet clothes beside them. _She_ looked at him as he walked away, but then looked back at the tiled floor when he turned to look at _her_. Shikamaru sat down beside _her_ yet not next to _her_. Almost a two foot gap was between them.

Placing his head against the wall and looking up at the ceiling, Shikamaru said again, "Are you going to make me say it again? I'm not mad at you."

_She_ was sitting while hugging _her_ legs, _her_ chin resting on _her_ knees, "Then why have you been avoiding me? And don't say you're not. I've asked you what was wrong and you wouldn't answer, meaning it _has_ to be something I did."

"…What ever happened to Sasuke?"

"What are you talking about? And why-" _she_ was interrupted.

"Don't worry, this all has a point. I just now realized that you haven't been hanging all over Sasuke as much as you used to anymore. All you do is say a few words to him every now and then. How come?"

"Well," _she_ began. "I'm over him now. When I discovered he just thought me as another annoyance, I backed off. No sense in wasting my time on someone who'll never care. Why?"

"Who told you he wasn't interested?" inquired Shikamaru.

"He did. And in a not so pleasant way either," _she_ mumbled.

"What went through your head after he said that?"

"Funny thing… at first I was highly offended!" _her_ confidence was returning.

_That's right. I just have to make her comfortable first…_

"He asked me if I really did like him. I answered that I did. I said I liked him a lot. Then he said I didn't. He said that I never liked him. He said that I was just giving Sakura a hard time by giving her competition for him. He said that I was only doing it so I could feel superior to her. Especially after our match in the chunin exams. We were equally matched and I had to beat her at something. Why not beat her where it hurt? I had gotten so caught up in my game that I forgot who it was I liked _before Sasuke came along._ He reminded me of who it was."

Shikamaru stiffened_, Before…?_

_She_ spotted his flinch and turned _her_ head away from the mesmerizing floor tile to meet his profile, "Something wrong?"

"No. So who was the person you liked before Sasuke?"

"You mean who do I like now…?" _she_ turned back to the tiles.

"I guess that could be the same question."

"Sorry, but I can't tell you that," was _her_ reply.

This was _not_ expected from _her_. Usually _she_ would go about boasting of whom _she_ liked and on how _she_ would win him over. Shikamaru replied casually, "Why not?"

Silence.

_She_ sighed and came back to _her_ senses, "You wouldn't want me to do that. The person I like is someone that you would never guess. Someone that no one but Sasuke would guess. Even if I told the person, he wouldn't care. He'd call me an annoyance just like Sasuke did."

Shikamaru suddenly stood up and walked over to the countertop where his clothes rested. He glanced out the window and realized the rain hadn't even begun to ease yet. He picked up the purple hyacinth and sat back down, this time closer to _her_. "You don't need to be sorry, you know…"

"What are you talking about?" _she_ looked at him peculiarly.

"I thought the purple hyacinth went along the lines of rashness, but then I realized that was only for hyacinths in general. The purple hyacinth is an apology flower, is it not?"

"Yes, but I don't see where you're going with this." _She_ turned _her_ head away. _She_ knew where this was going.

Shikamaru placed the flower beside _her_. "If anyone should be apologizing, it should be me. I made you think I was mad when I've only been thinking. One thing though. I'd just like you to explain to me why you had a striped carnation in hand, too."

_She_ smiled and returned _her_ head to _her_ knees, "So you really aren't mad?"

"For the third time, no…"

_She_ suddenly perked back up, "We're finally back on topic."

Shikamaru didn't answer; he just looked at _her_ from the corner of his eye.

"I knew you were in that tree when I went up to see you," _she_ said.

"That's not surprising." _Then why the hell was I making such a big deal over it earlier?!_

"The striped carnation stands for-"

"Rejection," Shikamaru finished.

"Since when have you known the meanings of flowers?"

"Since a long time ago," he replied.

"I had the carnation, because I had planned on telling you about what Sasuke had told me…"

"And how he rejected you?" Shikamaru coaxed.

"And how I rejected the person I like. But it was mostly for my own comfort. I didn't plan-"

"What about the 'I wish I could be with you' part of the meaning?"

"That… well, there's no way I could be with this person. I just had to pick the two people that I now know don't like me," _her_ voice faded with the last sentence.

Shikamaru turned to _her_, "How can you say that? Every guy—well except Sasuke—would love to be with you. But none of them are brave enough to say anything, because they are scared of rejection. You are so perfect that they all think your standards are set far too high for them to even comprehend."

"Shikamaru…" _her_ eyes met his and they wavered.

"You sure aren't making this any less of a drag than it already is, are you?" he smiled.

_She_ shook _her_ head, "But I don't understand…"

Shikamaru's mind began to run wild, yet even he couldn't comprehend what it was trying to say. All of his feelings started to swell up inside of him, but he could keep it under control. It's not like it hadn't happened before. Just, _her_ naivety and innocence was arousing something new… He couldn't control his limbs. Just one small movement and he came to a sudden revelation.

_Her_ eyes suddenly enlarged. The revelation must have come to _her_ at the same time too.

Somehow. In the midst of everything. In the midst of _her_ problems. In the midst of his feelings. In the midst of a powerful rainstorm. His hand rested atop _hers_. _She_ understood his feelings. He understood _her_ problems. It had all been so obvious that they were over thinking the situation. The one person _she_ could face was the one person who seemingly didn't care about anything. That was why _she_ had said he—Shikamaru—wouldn't care. That was why he had kept his feelings inside. He thought _she_ would never return them.

And in the midst of life, they found each other.

Neither one of them moved their hands from the others touch. The seconds ticked by just as the inches between one another did.

Their lips caressed each other gently at first, as a shy peck. But then it became more mature, more intimate. Shikamaru liked the way _her_ mouth opened and closed; how _her_ essence filled his every nerve. He especially loved how years of barred up feelings—that had never truly been released—now ran free and took control. His free hand slid to _her_ neck, pulling _her_ even deeper. _Her_ free hand reached up to grasp his arm that was ever-so-gently pulling _her_ in.

An epic moment was imprinted into their minds that would never leave. That's what their first kiss did to them. It linked them together for a long time to come.

They finally pulled away from each other and Shikamaru took _her_ hands and intertwined them with his fingers.

_What I would give_…

* * *

They sat against the wall for some time before the rain finally stopped. Shikamaru looked at _her_, sitting between his legs. _She_ was holding on to the arms he had wrapped around _her_, leaving one still entangled in his fingers. 

Maybe the rain wasn't so bad. Maybe it was all he really needed. Maybe he just needed the storm to soak him with feeling, only to lead up to this moment in time. Maybe it was just **_Ino_**.

"The rain stopped," _she_ pointed out.

"What a drag."

* * *

Oh. PLEEEASE don't shoot me. The ending was so cruddy, but I couldn't think of anything else. If something randomly hits me that's WAAAAY better. I'll put it on. Constructive criticism is always welcome. And you opinions on the "drag" vs. "troublesome" controversy. Leave ♥. 


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